UTTARA 


THE 


Legend  of  the  Turquoise 

Illustrations  and  Text  by 

CARLO  DE  FORNARO 


Published  by  MARCUS  & CO. 
Jewelers 

544  Fifth  Avenue 
New  York 


' 

' ' ' 'V  ;;  . 

■ . 


UTTARA 


THE 

Legend  of  the  Turquoise 

Illustrations  and  Text  by 

CARLO  DE  FORNARO 


Published  by  MARCUS  & CO. 
Jewelers 

544  Fifth  Avenue 
New  York 


Copyright,  1902,  by 
Carlo  de  Fornaro 


To 

Mrs.  M.  B.  Train 


When  the  Immortals  created  the  two  eyes  of 
heaven,  they  placed  fair  splendor  in  Him. 

—Rig  Veda 


REAT  commotion  reigned  among 
the  Immortals,  as  a most  unpre- 
cedented event  had  convulsed 
and  shaken  the  inhabitants 
of  the  city  of  Swarga  in 
the  heaven  of  Indra. 

Three  of  the  most  powerful  and  most  beautiful 
of  all  the  gods,  Indra,  Surya  and  Soma,  had  fallen 
foolishly,  hopelessly  in  love  with  a mortal  woman. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  a Brahmin  priest,  a twice- 
born  man,  and  so  fair  was  she  that  the  King  of 
Benares  described  her  as  a morsel  fit  for  the 
gods. 


5 


The  court  poet  had  sung  her  beauty  in  a song 
which  ran  thus : 

“ Thou  canst  behold  her  beauty  but  once  and 
nevermore,  for  like  the  splendor  of  Surya  it  blinds 
thee  for  thy  daring. 

“ Thus  I,  from  the  profound  depth  of  my  blind- 
ness will  describe  to  thee  in  words  as  poor  as  my 
fancy  is  rich,  what  I saw. 

“Her  countenance  is  pale  and  sad  as  the  white 
lotus  in  full  bloom  when  it  is  kissed  by  the  rays 
of  the  love-lorn  moon. 

“ Her  hair  is  black  as  the  thoughts  of  Yama, 
and  it  is  so  delicate  and  sensitive  that  it  reflects  all 
her  moods,  her  most  intimate  thoughts,  and  thou 
canst  observe  her  hair  if  thou  darest  not  glance  at 
her  face.  Her  eyes  are  as  deep  as  the  Bottomless 
Well,  and  when  she  gazes  at  thee  for  a while  thou 
feelest  that  she  could  absorb  thee  as  thou  dost 
the  perfume  of  a flower.  But  if  thou  couldst 
only  read  in  her  eyes  thou  wouldst  find  there  the 
source  of  all  the  Blessings. 


7 


“ When  her  eyelids  close  and  open  slowly  they 
seem  to  yawn  indifference  or  contempt,  and  the 
eyebrows  are  arches  which  keep  the  eyes  from 
irradiating  the  Universe. 

“ Her  mouth  is  sometimes  paler  than  the  palest 
coral,  at  other  times  darker  than  a bloody  wound, 
and  it  is  more  flexible  than  the  thoughts  of  a cour- 
tier. 

“ When  her  lips  smile  at  thee  thou  art  certain 
that  thou  hast  found  a new  heaven,  for  she  uncov- 
ers another  Milky  Way;  but  when  they  scorn  or 
show  anger  then  hadst  thou  better  never  show  thy 
face  again,  for  sorrow  will  eat  thy  soul  as  leprosy 
corrodes  a body. 

“ Her  hands  are  so  minute  and  graceful  that 
at  the  sight  of  them  the  bengalies  weep  and  pine 
away  in  envy. 

“ Her  feet  are  so  dainty  and  soft  that  the  flow- 
ers and  grass  which  she  treads  imagine  that  the  but- 
terfly has  just  kissed  them  gently. 

“ All  her  movements  are  so  beautiful  that  they 


9 


seem  to  be  singing  to  an  incessant  melody  of 
rhythm,  and  they  are  so  numerous  in  their  per- 
fection that  shouldst  thou  cast  a statue  for  each 
gesture  of  hers  thou  wouldst  have  to  go  to  other 
planets  for  new  marble  or  precious  metal  and  still 
thou  wouldst  not  achieve  thy  task. 

“ This  I saw  and  I was  blinded  for  my  daring, 
but  nevertheless  had  I as  many  lives  as  there  are 
stars  in  heaven,  and  were  each  life  as  long  as  a 
world-cycle,  still  would  I gladly  become  blind  at 
the  beginning  of  each  cycle  could  I cast  one  sol- 
itary glance  at  her  immortal  beauty.” 

Thus  spake  the  Poet,  and  verily  only  the  gods 
had  dared  fall  in  love  with  Uttara.  Surya,  the 
God  of  the  Sun,  appeared  in  the  morning  in  a 
blaze  of  golden  flames,  and  at  noon  his  rays  be- 
came so  ardent  that  Uttara  had  to  run  under  cover 
to  protect  herself  against  his  passion. 

More  than  once  was  Indra  obliged  to  send  to 
his  faithful  cloud-gods,  the  Maruts,  to  cover  the 
inextinguishable  radiance  of  the  impetuous  Surya. 


In  the  evening,  as  if  ashamed  of  his  behavior, 
his  face  became  redder  and  redder,  and  only  then 
could  Uttara  look  modestly  into  his  eye. 

Soma  courted  her  more  gently  but  with  more 
subtlety  and  his  pure  and  tormented  features  full 
of  sighs  would  make  Uttara  sometimes  grow  pen- 
sive and  absorbed.  When  she  chastely  lowered 
her  eyes  he  reflected  and  scintillated  on  the  silent 
lagoons  or  on  the  sea  all  his  unappeased  and  tremb- 
ling desires.  But  when  Soma  became  too  insinu- 
ating the  jealous  Indra  called  forth  the  Maruts 
and  the  Apas,  thus  forcing  Soma  to  peep  from 
behind  the  riding  Maruts  agitated  and  dis- 
turbed. 

Indra  had  the  preponderance  over  his  rivals 
because  of  his  presence  in  day  time  and  at  night 
time.  In  the  morning  he  appeared  cold  and 
pale  with  jealousy,  only  at  evenings  was  he 
supreme,  absorbing  all  the  splendor  cast  by  the 
departing  Surya.  At  night  he  reflected  all  his 
darker  moods  as  he  felt  that  Soma  even  if  a 


13 


smaller  was  a more  dangerous  rival  than  the  blust- 
ering Surya ; only  when  Soma  was  absent  did  In- 
dra  dot  his  dark  blue  dress  with  countless  scintil- 
lating gems  and  over  his  shoulder  threw  his  gauzy 
scarf,  the  Milky  Way. 

Uttara,  like  a true  woman,  did  not  show 
partiality  toward  any  of  her  admirers,  nor  accede 
to  their  courtship  and  the  three  Immortals  were  as 
much  at  sea  as  if  they  had  been  common,  every- 
day mortals. 

Indrani,  Indra’s  wife  was  the  last  to  be  informed 
of  his  unfaithfulness  and  she  decided  to  see  for 
herself  what  the  woman  who  dared  to  compete  with 
her  in  her  husband’s  affection,  looked  like. 

She  saw  Uttara  and  did  not  wonder  at  Indra’s 
infatuation,  but  resolved  to  end  this  royal  game 
of  hide  and  seek.  Ere  Uttara  had  had  time  to 
breathe  again  she  had  been  transformed  into  water 
in  the  sacrificial  cup  which  her  father  was  to  use  the 
following  day  in  performing  the  sacred  rites. 

The  despair  of  the  three  love-lorn  deities  was 


15 


indescribable  and  each  one  of  them  tried  his  ut- 
most to  save  Uttara  from  destruction. 

Surya,  violent  and  intense,  tried  with  all  the 
ardour  of  his  torrid  rays  to  vaporize  her  and  carry 
her  up  to  the  heavens.  But  all  his  efforts  were 
fruitless.  Soma,  heart-stricken  and  unnerved, 
could  only  sing  to  her  a forlorn  and  disconsolate 
complaint,  but  he  also  sang  in  vain. 

Indra  attempted  several  stratagems  with  all 
the  power  of  his  daring  passion  and  finally 
begged  Uttara  to  confess  whom  she  loved,  as  this 
confession  only  could  save  her  from  extinction. 
And  Uttara  spoke  to  him  trembling  with  emotion, 
cc  O Indra,  I love  thee  only ; for  thou  alone  art 
my  love,  my  god  ! I do  not  wish  to  be  saved  and 
become  mortal  again,  but  if  thou  lovest  me  deeply, 
absorb  me,  take  my  body,  my  soul,  all,  for  I 
am  thine  forever  ! ” 

And  Indra  reflected  his  beauty  into  hers,  em- 
braced her  fondly,  desperately,  with  all  his  might, 
and  so  powerful  and  intimate  was  the  desire  that 


7 


the  sacrificial  water  absorbed  Indra’s  image. 
When  later  Uttara’s  father  lifted  the  bowl  to  per- 
form the  rite  he  found  in  place  of  the  sacrificial 
liquid  a blue  stone  of  the  color  of  the  sky  in 
springtime,  vivid  and  flawless,  the  Turquoise. 


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